Page 124 of Secrets That Bind Us
Zoey shakes her head. “She’s having doubts. I told her to come down for the party. And of course, due to unofficially-officially being my Maid of Honor, she’s gonna be there. We’re having the party at the old Majestic in Waco. So I know she’ll be there. It’s an hour away. A safe distance away from Adelaide. We’ll have brunch in the morning. And knowing her, she’ll leave as soon as it’s done.” She shakes her head, looking so distraught. I can feel her sadness rolling off of her in waves. “Thishas towork, Dean. I miss her so fucking much. I know I get to see her every few months, but I feel like I’m still missing so much. She’s my best friend, but she’s closer to me than my own sister.”
“You don't have a sister.”
She rolls her hazel eyes at me. “What I imagine having a sister would be like.”
I look down at the pizza sitting between us, then out the window at the empty restaurant where Verity and I had our first official date. Every memory of holding her hand runs through my mind. Every giggle. Every time we walked these streets, I'd twirl her just so she’d smile up at me and push her glasses up her nose in that Verity way I loved. The good memories haunt me more than the bad ones. “One last time, then.”
Zoey swallows her bite of pizza. “Not the last time, Dean.”
“Zoey,” I lean forward and lower my voice so the other gossiping patrons won’t overhear us. I’m actually surprised Zoey’s kept hush about all of this, too. She’s always been a loudmouth. I didn’t dislike her– I disliked that she had the reckless sense to talk about things that weren’t anyone else’s business to hear at unfortunate times. “I haven't had sex since she left. I’m a fucking asshole to everyone andanyonethat even tries to talk to me. I’m not living a life because I’m stuck in the past. Verity always said this town trapped people here, and she’s right. I’m barely coasting through this life. This is no way for anyone to live. I deserve peace, too.”
She sinks in the booth and looks out the window. “Not true. You’re nice to the kids you coach.” Of course, that’s the thing she concentrates on.
“They’re kids.” I shrug. “If she decides to live her life with him, and really make a life with him, then I have to let that happen for her.”
Hazel eyes snap back to mine. “So what, you’re gonna give up?”
It’s something I’ve been pondering over the last few months. “She’ll come back to me when she’s ready. They won’t last long at all. I told her a long time ago not to marry him. She won’t be happy with him. And truth be told, Zoey, I’m more worried about meeting my daughter than anything. I will always love Verity. And I know her. I know it’ll take time for her to bring Savvy around me.”
Zoey hums. “How do you know we call her that?”
I lift a shoulder and let it drop. “That’s what I would call her.”
She nods, and I finally pick a slice of pizza, forcing myself to eat.
TWO MONTHS LATER
Ifeelher before I even see her, and my heart rate drops, music thrumming in my ears like low humming vibrations.
Like there’s a string tied to me, being pulled into her orbit. She looks elegant and so fucking beautiful, my heart feels like waves tumbling to shore. She’s wearing an incredible dress that glitters every time she moves. It’s tight on her lush body, showing off every dangerous curve she’s developed due to time and motherhood. My palms itch to feel her flesh beneath them. Her hair is down in these gorgeous chocolate waves, and she’s wearing a black, satin mask that hides her eyes from me. She drinks white wine. As soon as it’s empty, it’s refilled. Her eyes scan the room, bouncing from person to person.
I go to the bar and order a glass of whiskey. Then another. And one more tumbler full of liquid courage. By the time she spots me, her eyes are glassy, and she looks like she’s been crying. “Here for the bride or the groom?”
“Both. They’re old friends of mine” She smiles weakly. I frown. She lost her accent. “You?”
Is she so smashed she doesn’t recognize me? Is this Verity? It has to be. It’s the pull.
She orders a fourth glass of wine, and I order another whiskey. “Same. Old friends.”
She gulps down the wine and wipes at her lip where some dribbled. “Care to dance?”
Hell fucking yeah I care. I slam back the whiskey and take her hand, leading her to the dance floor that’s full of our old classmates and new friends Zoey and Evan have made throughout the years.
The song is an old hip hop song from our youth, and she gyrates on me, letting her head fall back against my chest, grabbing my hands and putting them on her hips. I slide my hands everywhere, growing hard against her ass. Fuck, I’m gonna blow my load right here. The whiskey is getting to me, too. Fuck, I should’ve controlled myself.
After the song, we grab one more drink by the bar to cool down. It goes down like water.
“I don’t normally do this, but I really need to forget some things, and I really need you to fuck me.”
And who am I to deny her?
“I don’t normally do this, but I really need to fuck you.” I reply.
And so off we go.
Up the elevator.
To my room.
